Breakdown by Media Channel of American News Consumption (Research Paper Sample)

ASKWONDER QUESTION What is the breakdown, by media channel, of how Americans consume news in 2017? INSIGHTS Television has particularly seen massive growth in 2017 news consumption with Americans reportedly viewing 44 billion hours of television news within the first 15 weeks of the current year. Though news consumed via television is generally the most popular method of news consumption within the U.S., millennial and Gen Z Americans prefer to use social media platforms for their primary news source. With 2016 being an election year and 2017 being the beginning of the Trump administration, politics have undeniably influenced Americans news consumption in the U.S. 1/5 askwonder.com ASKWONDER OVERVIEW Hello! Thank you for your request for a recent breakdown of American news consumption in 2017 by media channel. My research concludes that above all, television news consumption among Americans has already experienced particular growth in the current year. Nielsen.com was particularly useful in this research. Please see a deep dive of my findings below. METHODOLOGY In line with your request, I referred to recent U.S. surveys and research reports that examine the nationwide growth in news consumption between the final quarter of last year and 2017. My research offers a segmented glance into television, social media and digital news consumption, as well as an overall look at this growth and factors that may have contributed to it. NEWS CONSUMPTION BREAKDOWN Across platforms, the first month of 2017 has already shown a noticeable increase in American's news consumption from last year. A recent report from Nielsen provided the difference of 2016's average news consumption to January 2017 in minutes per week: National Broadcast TV News= +6 minutes (4), Local TV News in LPM Markets= +12 minutes (4), National Cable TV News= +20 minutes (4), PC News= + 1 minute (4), Smartphone News= +1 minute (4), Radio News in PPM Markets= +1 minute (4). National cable television news saw the highest increase at 20 minutes (4), while news consumed via the radio, PC and smartphone devices only increased by one minute (4). TELEVISION NEWS CONSUMPTION Nielsen's Total Audience Report for the last quarter of 2016 revealed an increase of 11.3 billion (3) minutes of news consumed per week among Americans, from 2015. Television has particularly seen massive growth in 2017 news consumption with Americans reportedly viewing 44 billion (1) hours of television news within the first 15 weeks (1) of the current year. According to a report from Pivotal Research Group analyst Brian Wieser, this 99-day (1) period (January 1 - April 9) set a record for U.S. news consumption, accounting for 12 percent (1) of total television viewed in the nation. This demonstrates 21 percent (1) growth, compared to a 1 percent (1) decline for total television viewing. SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS CONSUMPTION Though news consumed via television is generally the most popular method of news consumption within the U.S., millennial and Gen Z Americans prefer to use social media platforms for their primary news source. According to research from Deloitte, only 21 percent (6) use television as their primary source of news, versus the 33 percent (6) who use social media to consume their news. Social media's accessibility allows for quick, convenient news consumption, as well as the opportunity for circulation of fake news articles. A 2017 report, (8) 'Journalism, Media and Technology Predictions,' noted the 2/5 askwonder.com ASKWONDER issue of fake articles may have been "exaggerated (8)" due to the election. Though fake stories reportedly received more shares, reactions and comments than real news on Facebook, those fake stories account for under 1 percent (8) of what appears in users' newsfeed, according to Mark Zuckerberg. DIGITAL NEWS CONSUMPTION A recent Pew Research Center survey on "the most frequent (7) pathways" leading people to digital news supports the claim that social media has a growing role in news consumption. According to this survey, social media was identified as one of the most used methods for receiving news (35 percent (7)) along with news apps (36 percent (7)). The study also found that methods of news consumption varied by category (7) where participants tended to visit news apps for business/finance news and social media for community news. GROWTH FACTORS Last year's major headlines included "Syria (3), refugees (3), Brexit (3), Zika (3), terror attacks (3), celebrity deaths (3), tense relations between police and communities (3)" and " the presidential election (3)," a topic that has carried over into 2017. With 2016 being an election year and 2017 being the beginning of the Trump administration, politics have undeniably influenced Americans news consumption in the U.S. A February 2017 poll of 876 (5) registered North Carolina voters demonstrated the level of perceived political polarization (86.7 percent (5) agree the country is more divided than ever) and suggests that respondents consume news in "political bubbles (5)," in which they gravitate toward media outlets that support their political beliefs (5). The survey also highlights fake news as a significant concern for the majority of surveyed North Carolinians, 88.4 percent (5) of whom believe it "confuses Americans (5) about politics and government." A March 2017 survey shows that Americans attribute this polarization to the "regular conflicts (2)" between the media and the Trump administration. A total of 4,151 members (2) of the American Trends Panel (a national representative of Pew Research Center) show that Americans across demographics- including political party, age, race, income and education- felt their personal media consumption affected by the current presidency. About 70 percent (2) of bo...